Volume 2 Issue 1__________________________________________________________________________________Research ArticleAnalysis of the Correlation between Oxacillin/Cefoxitin Susceptibility/Resistance, the Presence of the Gene MecA and PBP2a Production in Hospital Infection-Associated Staphylococcal Isolates

Oxacillin/cefoxitin-susceptible mecA-positive staphylococcal strains present a challenge for clinical and therapeutic management and require great attention from clinical microbiology laboratories, as phenotypical tests for oxacillin/cefoxitin and PBP2a detection might be misleading, and the incorrect identification could lead to treatment with inappropriate antimicrobial therapy. PBP2a/PBP2´ is an alternative, low-affinity penicillin-binding protein (PBP) encoded by the gene mecA.

The increase in clinical isolation of extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) in Enterobacteriaceae entails an important worldwide problem because they are resistant to a large number of beta-lactams, but also because they are frequently found in genetic mobile elements in coexistence with genes that confer resistance to other important groups of antimicrobial drugs, thus leading to the restriction in therapeutic options.